Dash electric headlight.



No. 799,655. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. J. KIRBY, JR.

DASH ELECTRIC HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. 1904.

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unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KIRBY, JR, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES HEADLIGHT COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

DASH ELECTRIC HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed December 10, 1904. Serial No.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN KIRBY, J r., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery, in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dash Electric Headlights; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, as forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to dash electric headlights for street-railway cars and similar uses, and has reference more particularly to the type of headlights that are intended to be set in a hole and secured therein to the dashboard.

The invention has for its objects to provide such headlights with an improved form of lens-holder, to provide more thorough insubinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents a front view of a portion of the dashboard and dash-cap ofa street-railway car with my improved headlight mounted in the dashboard, the lens being removed and a portion of the socket-base broken away. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the center line of Fig. 1 with the lens shown in position in the lens-holder and the lamp and socket-base shown in full. Fig. 3 represents a top View of the headlight mounted in the dashboard. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the center of one of the clips which guide the conducting-wires. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the line 1 2 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a back view of a portion of the case, showing one of the clips in position therein. Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. 6 with the clip removed and showing the openings for same, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of theclips.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts throughout the drawings.-

A represents the dashboard of a street-car, and B a wood rail to which the top thereof is secured.

C represents standards, a number of which with the lamp.

are employed, extending from the floor of the car to a point above the dashboard to support.

the dash-cap D, which rests upon an iron strip E, the standards being stayed to the rail B by stirrups B in the usual manner.

G is the headlight-case, which is made in the form of a hollow shell with an open front and a horizontally-disposed portion a, adapted to be inserted in an opening I) in the dashboard. The case is provided with a laterallyprojecting flange c, which extends around the outer surface thereof. This flange is preferably formed integral with the case and bears against the inner side of the dashboard around the said opening. A dash-collar H surrounds the said portion a of the case and bears against the outer side of the dashboard. The flange 0 and collar H are provided with a number of holes registering with each other to receive bolts I, which also pass through the dashboard and by which the headlight is firmly secured thereto.

' At the top of the case in the rear of the flange 0 there is formed a horizontally-flat tened surface d, to the under side of which is suspended a socket --base J, between which and the wall of the case there may be inserted a washer K, of non-conducting material, the said socket-base being held in position by a bolt L, the head of which engages ashoulder a in the socket-base and which extends therefrom through said washer and through a nonconducting sleeve or bushing Min the top of the case provided with a shoulder or flange e, resting on the top side of the case and against which a nut engaging the bolt L, is screwed, thus firmly securing the socket-base J, the washer K, and the bushing M in place.

At the bottom of the case, which is preferably made of cast-iron, there is a boss f, pro vided with an opening f to receive the conducting-wires g, which lead to the socket-base and through which the current is conveyed to the lam p N in the usual manner. The conducting-wires pass through guideways g, formed by clips h, attached to the case and which serve to prevent the said wires coming in contact To economize labor in attaching the clips h to thecase, the pattern from which the latter is cast is provided with openings c' of sufficient size and shape on the inner side of the case to receive the ends of the clips, which are slitted at andreduced at j to form shoulderslc, which bear against the case. The pattern is beveled from the inner toward the outer side of the case, so that in molding there will be a liberal allowance of draft to permit of clear and perfect openings in the casting, as more clearly shown in Fig. 7. Thus when the casting is taken from the mold it is provided with openings to receive the clips, and therefore the labor of drilling, drifting, and tapping the case preparatory to attaching the clips, together with the cost of screws, is dispensed with, as all that is necessary to secure the clips to the case is to insert the ends thereof in the openings i and bend them over the beveled wall of the case, as shown.

Heretofore considerable difliculty has been experienced with electric headlights shortcircuiting, particularly in wet weather, through the lack of proper insulation. The case being made of material which is a conductor of electricity, it has been found difficult to sufficiently insulate it from the electric current to prevent short circuits in damp weather, although much thought and attention has been devoted to the object, to accomplish which I glaze the inside surface of the case with a coating of white vitrescent enamel G, applied in paste or liquid form and then subjected to intense heat and which when cool forms a glassy non-conducting surface, which not only thoroughly insulates the case from the electric current, but also increases the efliciency of the light to such extent as to make the employment of a reflector behind the lamps unnecessary, and the clips 72 being attached to the case before the enameling is done, are also likewise glazed, and therefore should they come in contact with the conducting-wires they will act as non-conductors, and the electric current will not be transmitted therethrough to the case, in the back of which, near the top thereof, is provided an opening Z, covered by a hood m, for the escape of heat from the lamp.

A lens-holder N is hinged to the front rim (4 of the case, at the top thereof, by means of the ears 0, with which said rim is provided, and the ears p, with which the lens-holder is provided, a removable pin 0 constituting the journal upon which the lensholder swings, the said front rim a being provided with a circumferential recess a to receive the inner edge of the lens-holder. The lensholder comprises a horizontally-disposed outer rim q and a return angularly-disposed ring 1", which extends rearwardly toward the center of the said rim gin the present instance beyond the same into the caseand whose inner or free edge constitutes a bearing for the lens P and is provided with a circumferential groove 9 to receive a rubber or other cushion strip Q for the lens, the latter being held in place by a sheet-metal or other slightly-yielding washer or ring R, secured by screws S to a suitable number of posts 8. The said rim (1,

ring 9", posts 8, and ears p constitute a single structure, which may be cast in iron, brass, or other metal, as preferred.

It will be observed that by constructing the lens-holder as above described the back portion of the lens is contained within the headlight-case, and that its front curved portion does not project beyond the front of the lensholder, and that it is protected thereby against lateral or side blows, which otherwise would break and destroy it, also that such construction, while affording lateral protection to the lens, reduces the projection in front of the dashboard, thereby decreasing liability to injury by moving-vehicles and from other causes.

The bottom of the lens-holder is provided with an inwardly projecting boss t, which when the said holder is in its normal position underlies the rim q and which is provided with a bore a, forming a bottom o, having a smaller central bore 10, through which and within the bore 16 operates a bolt 00, surrounded by a coiled spring whose lower end bears against the bottom '2; and whose upper end bears against a collar .2, formed on the bolta', and which constitutes a guide for the upper part of the said bolt to keep it in a central position in the bore a, while pressure of the spring y maintains it in a normally elevated position. The lower end of said bolt is provided with a knob 2, acting as a stop for the bolt and also as a means by which the bolt is withdrawn when the lens-holder is to be opened. The upper end of the said bolt 09 projects above the top of the boss 25 and engages a hole 5 in the bottom of the rim a of the case and which at this point is provided with a bevel 0, extending from the edge of the said hole to the upper outer edge of the said rim, so that in closing the lensholder the free end of the bolt :12 will strike against and slide down the said bevel, finding engagement with the hole 6, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, thus fastening the lens-holder in position on the case.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the details of construction hereinbefore described without departing from the spirit of my invention. Therefore I do not wish to limit the invention to such exact details of construction, and I-reserve the right to employ any construction that properly comes within the scope of the invention. I am aware, however, that to coat the interior of the case with a non-conducting enamel is not of itself new, and I do not, therefore, claim the same broadly, but the idea of attaching separate clips forming guideways for the conducting-wires to the case and then coating the whole with a continuous unbroken covering of enamel, in contradistinction to the usual manner of coating the parts separately and then putting them together, is, I believe, new and novel and of advantage both in manufacture and efiiciency in service.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. Aheadlight-case having its inner surface coated with non-conducting material, in combination with a lens-holder comprising a horizontally-disposed rim adapted to register with the open end of the case; an angularly-disposed inner ring extending from said rim rearwardly toward the center thereof and whose inner edge is adapted to receive a lens, and means for attaching the lens-hold er to the case, substantially as set forth.

2. In a headlight, the combination of a case comprising a hollow shell, an electric lamp contained therein, conducting-wires leading through the wall of the case to the lamp and adapted to connect the latter with a source of electric supply, separate clips secured to the case and forming guideways on the inner surface thereof for the passage of said wires, and a coating of non-conducting material on the inner surface of the case and on said clips forming a continuous unbroken covering therefor, substantially as set forth.

3. In a headlight, the combination of a case comprising a hollow shell, an electric lamp contained therein, conducting-wires leading through the wall of the case to the lamp and adapted to connect the latter with a source of electric supply, separate clips secured to the case and forming guideways on the inner surface thereof for the passage of said wires, a coating of non-conducting material on the inner surface of the case and on said clips forming a continuous unbroken covering therefor, a lens-holder, and means for securing said lens-holder to the case at the open end thereof, substantially as set forth.

L. As a new article of manufacture, a headlight-case adapted to receive an electric lamp and comprising a hollow shell provided with separate clips secured to the case and forming guideways for the passage of conductingwires, the said clips together with the inner surface of the case being covered with a continuous unbroken coating of non-conducting material, substantially as set forth.

5. In a headlight,the combination with the case thereof having an open front and a hori- Zontally-disposed front projecting rim provided with a circumferential recess at its outer end, of a lens-holder hinged to the case at the top thereof and registering with said recess, a bored boss located on and opposite the hinge of the lens-holder and underlapping the said front projecting rim of the case, a spring retracting-bolt operative within the bore of said boss, an opening or recess in said rim with which said bolt engages to retain the lensholder in place, and an inclined surface formed on the said projecting rim extending from or near the outer edge of said hole or recess to or near the inside front edge of the said projecting rim; and against which the free end of the said bolt impinges and down which it slides during the operation of closing the lensholder, substantially as set forth.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a lensholder for headlights comprising a horizontally-disposed rim adapted to register with the open end of the headlight-case, an angularly-disposed inner ring extending from said rim rearwardly toward the center thereof and having its inner edge provided with a groove adapted to receive a cushion for the lens, a plurality of posts located around and projecting beyond the said inner edge of said ring, and means for attaching the same to the headlight-case, substantially as set forth.

7 As a new article of manufacture, an integrally-formed lensholder for headlightcases comprising a horizontally-disposed rim adapted to register with the open end of the case, an angularly-disposed inner ring extending from said rim rearwardly toward the center thereof and whose inner edge is adapted to receive a lens, and means for attaching the,

lens-holder to the case, substantially as set forth.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a lensholderfor headlights comprising a horizontally-disposed rim adapted to register with the open end of the headlight-case, an angularlydisposed inner ring extending from the said rim rearwardly toward the center thereof and whose inner edge is provided witha groove adapted to receive a cushion for the lens, a plurality of posts located around and projecting beyond the said inner edge of said ring and adapted to receive screws for securing a device thereto for holding a lens between saidthe headlight-case, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto afiixed my signature, this 8th day of December, 1904:, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN KIRBY, JR.

WVitnesses:

J NO. I. UNDERWOOD, N. EMMoNs, J r. 

